Media Release

A 7-year-old girl died of injuries she sustained in a hay ride during a Halloween night church function in Hawaii Ocean View Estates.

The victim was identified as Emily Midgley of Hawaiian Ocean View Estates.

Responding to a 7:08 p.m. call Saturday (October 31), Ka’u. patrol officers determined that a 48-year-old Hawaiian Ocean View Estates man was operating a 1998 Dodge pickup with a trailer hitched to the truck. In the trailer were a number of passengers, including the 7-year-old child. As the vehicle was coming to a stop at the end of the hay ride in the parking lot of the Ocean View Evangelical Community Church, the child jumped off the trailer and was run over.

She was transported to Kona Community Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 8:15 p.m.

Police do not believe that speed or alcohol were factors in this incident.

Traffic Enforcement Unit officers have initiated a negligent homicide investigation and have order an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

Because this crash occurred on a private road, the death is not counted toward the island’s official traffic fatality count.